Legal Knowledge Blog

It comes as no surprise to people in the restaurant industry that many immigrants are currently working in our kitchens, cooking, cleaning and serving. President Obama’s Executive Action provides an opportunity for some of those immigrants to seek employment authorization. Having received a number of calls from our clients who own restaurants, there is clearly a great interest in helping those who make the food happen! This article outlines what the program announced by Obama is, who can qualify, and when this will happen. While not everyone is in agreement on how the President did this, the reality is that it is now a very real opportunity for many people to fix this current immigration situation.

From FoxNews we learn that President Obama is considering a 10 point Executive Action on immigration. We will walk through each of these 10 items and give you a real life perspective of what they mean, who it would affect, and how "good" it is. But, to note, the most important thing he can do is not on this list--count only principal immigrant applicants, rather than all family members when it comes to family legal immigration quota totals. That appears to be off the table, for now.

The 10 points of the draft plan, as outlined by FoxNews, are as follows, with my commentary on each item.

Recently, OSHA announced a revision to its recordkeeping requirements that will update the list of industries that are required to keep injury and illness records. The new requirements go into effect on January 1, 2015. Some industries that were previously required to maintain injury and illness records will not be required to do so as of next year. However, many previously exempt industries are now required to keep such records. Below is a list, by NAICS Code, of the industries that will now be required to keep injury and illness records that had not been required to do so previously. Note that the food and beverage industry is affected by several categories.

Source: Elarbee ThompsonBy: Patrick Lail[Elarbee Thompson] felt it would be beneficial to share some of the most common questions we are receiving from our clients about Ebola and their employees' fears about it. Although the specific circumstances of each employer may vary and call for a modified response, we hope this general information contributes to a measured and appropriate response to the issues raised by this developing situation.